Asia Markets Rebound as U.S. Tech Stocks Rally

Asian stock markets rose on Tuesday after U.S. equities recovered from their previous week's decline.

Japanese benchmarks led the regional gains. The Nikkei 225 index increased 2.6 percent to close at 60,279.37. SoftBank Group shares jumped 15 percent ahead of an earnings report, recovering from a one-year low reached on Monday. Tokyo Electron gained 5.6 percent and Advantest rose 3.4 percent.

South Korean markets also posted strong results. The Kospi index climbed 4 percent to 5,219.37. Samsung Electronics shares increased 4.6 percent, while SK Hynix stock rose 5.6 percent. In East Asia, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong edged up 0.4 percent to 24,535.74. The Shanghai Composite index in China also gained 0.4 percent, finishing at 3,673.54. Chinese customs data released on Tuesday showed exports grew 35.2 percent from a year earlier, while imports increased 41.6 percent. This performance places China on track for another annual record, with the 2026 trade surplus already exceeding one trillion dollars.

Other regional markets followed the upward trend. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.1 percent to 9,131.70, and Taiwan's Taiex index advanced 3.4 percent. The rally mirrored gains in the United States on Monday, where the S&P 500 jumped 2.3 percent for a second consecutive day. This move came after investors worried that Democratic victories in the midterm elections might slow the construction of AI data centers. The S&P 500 now sits just 3.4 percent below its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.2 percent, and the Nasdaq composite rose 2.7 percent.

Energy prices and currency rates also shifted during the session. Brent crude oil fell 0.9 percent to $91.74 per barrel, while U.S. benchmark crude dropped 1 percent to $85.97. President Donald Trump told CNN over the weekend that a resumption of strikes on Iran is highly unlikely if negotiations progress. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Sunday that Iranian demands had sometimes been outrageous and ridiculous. Several U.S. companies reported strong profits, with Constellation Energy stock climbing 10.5 percent after exceeding analyst expectations. Nvidia shares fell 4.3 percent as the company investigated an intimate relationship between its CEO Jensen Huang and a business executive. Nvidia's board said it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised. Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the allegations smears against China. The U.S. dollar strengthened to 158.06 Japanese yen, while the euro weakened to $1.1222.